Wrench



W. M. MYERS.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1920.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

wninvcn.

Application filed May 28,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hiram-r M. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in renches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches. It relates particularly to monkey Wrenches.

The object of my invention is to provide a wrench of. the kind described, which is simple in construction, cheap to make, durable and not liable to get out of order, and which can be easily and quickly adjusted to and from the gripping position.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevat on and partly in vert1cal section of my improved wrench.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4-. is a cross section on the line 4.& of

S imilar reference characters designate sim1- lar parts in the diiferent views.

1 designates the shank of the wrench having a fixed jaw 2, toward and from which is adapted to be slid, on the shank 1, a slidable jaw member 3 having a jaw 41 adapted to co-operate in the usual manner with the fixed jaw 2.

A handle 5 is pivoted on a transverse bolt 6 mounted in the shank 1 and having at one end a head and at the other a threaded longitudinal hole 7 in which is fitted a securing screw 8, Fig. 4., having a head which bears against the handle 5.

A fiat spring 9 secured to the adjacent end of the shank 1 bears against the inner side of the handle 5 and normally forces the latter to an initial position from which it is swung by hand when the wrench is used to grip a pipe, nut or bolt.

Slidable on the shank 1 is a member 10 having on its outer edge a longitudinal row of teeth 11 which are preferably ratchet teeth. The middle portion of the member 10 has a transverse slot 12, Fig. 1, through which extends a loosely fitted pin 13 mounted in the handle 5. The outer end of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 14,1922.

1920. Serial No. 384,845.

member 10 is slightly rounded and fitted to bear against a shoulder 14 in the lower por' compressed with the hand, it will effect a swinging to the left of the handle 5 and an in ward sliding movement of the toothed member lO on the shank 1. This is for the purpose of moving the sliding jaw 3 from close to a gripping position to a gripping position.

To move the jaw 3 to the approximate gripping osition, there is mounted in a recess 15 in t e movable jaw 3, a pawl 16, which is pivoted by a transverse pin 17 to the jaw member 3. A flat spring 18 attached to the pawl has its free end bearing against the member 3, so as to force teeth, with-which the pawl 16-is provided, into locked engagement with the teeth 11 of the member 10.

When the handle 5 and member 10 are compressed with the hand, the handle will be swung to the left and the member 10 will be slid inwardly, thereby moving the jaw 3, through the intermediacy of the pawl 16 to the gripping position.

pon releasing the compression against the member 10 and handle 5, the spring 9 will swing the handle 5 to the right, thus drawing outwardly slightly the toothed member 10, thereby releasing the movable jaw 3, so that the wrench may be turned on a pipe to take another bite, or removed from a nut or bolt head to take a new grip thereon.

To release the pawl 16 from the member 10, so that the jaw 3 may be quickly slid to or from any given position, I provide a thumb operated lever 19 pivoted on a transverse pin 20 to the jaw member 3. The inner end of the lever 19 is mounted in a transverse groove 21 in the outer end of the pawl 16.

In the operation of my invention, one hand of the operator grips the handle 5, the thumb of that hand being employed to swing to the right the outer end of the lever 19, thereby detaching the pawl 16 from the teeth 11, upon which the thumb can slide the jaw 3 to an approximate operating position, in which position, the object to be turned with the wrench will be disposed loosely between the jaws 2 and 4:. The operator then compresses the handle 5 and member 10, thereby swinging the handle 5 to the left, the handle by means of the shoulder 14 forcing the member 10 and with it the pawl 16 and jaw 8 slightly inwardly, so that the object between the jaws 2 and l will be tightly gripped, after which the wrench may be swung to the left to turn the object; If the object is to be turned in the other direction, the wrench is reversed and is swung to the right.

After the pulling strain on the handle 5 is removed, the spring 9 will swing the handle to the right, thus loosening the jaw 3 from the object gripped, after which the wrench may be turned to take a new bite and the operation above described, repeated.

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described, as many mod ifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. A wrench having a shank provided with a fixed jaw, a handle pivoted to the shank, a jaw slidable on the shank, a member adapted to be grasped by the hand with the handle and engaging the handle and movable thereby toward the fixed j aw when; the handle and member are compressed and one moved toward the other, and releasable means for locking the slidable aw and said member together, substantially as set forth.

2. A wrench having a shank provided with a fixed jaw, a handle pivoted to the shank, a j aw slidable on the shank, a toothed member pivoted to the handle and adapted to be compressed with the handle by the hand and reciprocative toward and from the fixed jaw when the handle is swung toward and from the toothed member, and a spring for forcing the handle from the toothed member, and a pawl carried by the slidable jaw and arranged for releasable engagement with the toothed member. 7

vA wrench having a shank provided with a fixed jaw, a handle pivoted to the shank, a jaw slidable on the shank, a toothed member having means for engagement with the handle by which the toothed member is movedtoward and from the fixed jaw when the handle is oscillated on the shank, the toothed member and handle being adapted to be grasped with one hand and compressed thereby so as to swing the handle toward the toothed member, and a pawl releasably engaging the toothed member, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WVILLIAM M. MYERS. 

